Authentic Japanese Tempura Batter (with Secret Tips!)

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“Yes! Finally a recipe that cools all the ingredients. I thought I was crazy to do that. Thanks for the weights. This is now my recipe! Cheers.”
– Bobby G

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What is Tempura Batter?

Tempura is a Japanese dish with a long history. It is commonly made with seafood or vegetables coated in a light batter made from a simple mixture of flour, egg, and water, which is then deep-fried.

Despite its world-renowned fame as a Japanese dish, did you know that tempura actually originated from Portugal? It was inspired by a dish called “Peixinhos da Horta” and was introduced to Japan in the 16th century.

Tempura started its journey in Nagasaki Prefecture and eventually spread to the east of Japan, becoming one of the “Three Flavors of Edo (Tokyo).” Before that point, there was no culture of deep frying or cooking with a batter.

It’s interesting to note that Portugal was one of the few countries that Japan traded with at the time, and the influence of Portuguese culture can be seen in other traditional Japanese dishes too. In fact, there are even a number of Japanese words that originated from Portuguese, including the word “tempura” itself, which is believed to come from “tempero” which means “seasoning”.

How I Developed This Recipe

There’s no right or wrong way to make tempura batter, and it varies even within Japan. You’ll find different recipes in specialty restaurants versus what you can buy at a supermarket. You’ll often find tempura sold outside of Japan with a thicker, fritter-like batter.

Regardless, I believe the best tempura lets the natural flavors of the ingredients shine through in a thin, crispy batter that doesn’t overpower the dish.

So I’ve developed an authentic batter that resembles that of a high-end tempura restaurant without any added flavors or salt. It can be enjoyed simply with salt or dipping sauce at the end. After a few tries, I finally nailed the light and crispy batter. Give it a go!

Popular Ingredients to Use for Tempura

The ingredients used for tempura are called “tane” (タネ). Although there is no set rule, tane is mostly seafood or vegetables.

Here is a list of some of the most commonly used “tane” (tempura ingredients) in Japan:

Shrimp/prawn
Squid
Kakiage (mixed vegetable tempura)
Sweet potato
Pumpkin
Conger eel
Eggplant / Aubergine
Sand borer
Lotus roots
Chicken

The list is based on the ranking done by Livedoor News.

Feel free to click on the links to see my specialized recipes and cooking times for each ingredient. Please note that my chicken tempura recipe uses a slightly different batter than the recipe below.

There is no doubt that shrimp tempura is the king of tempura. I think everyone in Japan would agree. But other than shrimp, my personal favorite is eggplant tempura! How about yours? Let me know your favorite in the comments below!

eggplant tempura with tentsuyu dipping sauce

Visual Walkthrough & Tips

Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Authentic Japanese Tempura Batter at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.

STEP

Chilling the Liquids

Still water in a jug and sparkling water in a sealed bottle

Start by measuring cold water into a jug and putting it in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. For sparkling water, use a chilled, unopened bottle and measure it out right before making the batter.

DO USE ICY COLD WATER (DON’T USE WARM WATER)

To prevent gluten formation in tempura batter, using ice-cold water is crucial. Cold batter mixed at low temperatures delays gluten formation and reacts better with hot oil, resulting in puffier, lighter tempura.

STEP

Prepping the Dry Mix

Sifting dry ingredients for tempura batter into a mixing bowl

Sift together cornstarch, cake flour, and baking powder in a bowl and give it a good mix. Again, chilling the dry mix helps the tempura get that perfect crispiness. So, into the freezer it goes for 20-30 minutes.

sifted tempura ingredients in a mixing bowl

Chilling everything is the key!

DO USE CAKE FLOUR (DON’T USE BREAD FLOUR)

For tempura, use low-protein wheat flour like cake flour. Avoid strong flours like bread flour to prevent a sticky and heavy batter.

STEP

Preparing Tempura Ingredients

3 ways to cut eggplant for tempura (thin slices, thick rounds and fans)

While our mixtures are chilling, let’s get our tempura ingredients ready. Wash, cut, and pat them dry with a paper towel. Trust me, dry ingredients fry better.

I currently have specific instructions for shrimp, eggplant, and sweet potatoes in separate posts.

Dry ingredients with kitchen paper and dust with a small amount of flour to help the batter stick.

STEP

Heating the Oil

Once everything is thoroughly chilled, it’s time to heat our oil. Aim for a temperature of 180°C (356°F). You might need to adjust the temperature for specific ingredients (check the post above for details).

I highly recommend using a contactless cooking thermometer for accuracy.

STEP

Mixing the Batter

Pour the chilled water and sparkling water into a bowl. Crack in an egg and give it a gentle whisk.

scooping foam out of eggs to make tempura batter

REMOVE FOAM FROM WHISKED EGG

If you see any bubbles or foam, remove this foam with a spoon to prevent stickiness or burning in the batter.

whisking dry ingredients into egg mixture with chopsticks to make tempura batter

Add the sifted flour and starch in thirds, gently mixing with chopsticks. Remember, no vigorous whisking, as this can start to form gluten. We want a light batter.

DON’T OVERMIX

For tempura batter, lumps are preferable to a smooth mix. Overmixing causes gluten formation, leading to chewy, not crispy tempura, and it won’t have the desired bubbly appearance. Mix flour and water roughly with chopsticks, not a whisk, and leave some lumps.

tempura batter in mixing bowl with wooden chopsticks

Batter left sitting increases gluten formation, resulting in a chewy, thick tempura. Instead of pre-mixing beforehand, chill ingredients separately and combine right before frying for optimal texture.

Add ice cubes to keep the batter cold.

STEP

Frying Time

Test your oil with a drop of batter. If it sizzles and floats, you’re good to go. Lightly coat your ingredients in flour, dip them in the batter, and carefully lower them into the hot oil.

Fry until they’re crispy but not too golden. I find frying one type of ingredient at a time ensures even cooking.

Drop a couple of ice cubes

If you make a big batch, drop in a couple of ice cubes to keep the batter cold.

STEP

Draining and Serving

Once fried to perfection, transfer the tempura to a wire rack. This lets any extra oil drip away.

Now, all that’s left is to serve and enjoy with either salt or tempura dipping sauce!

Because precision and technicality are key in making authentic tempura batter, let’s go through all the dos and don’ts we discussed once again here:

Dos

Use cake flour
Sift flour
Use icy cold water
Remove foam from the whisked egg
Leave some lumps
Make the batter right before frying

Don’ts

Use bread flour
Leave the mixed batter out
Use warm water
Leave foam/bubbles in the whisked egg
Overmix/Make it smooth

Extra Useful Tips & Tricks

Use mayonnaise instead of egg if necessary: While I prefer using eggs for tempura batter, using mayonnaise as a substitute can be convenient for making small batches and avoiding leftovers. For small batches, mayonnaise is more manageable than measuring a fraction of an egg. Typically, one egg can be substituted with 1 tbsp of mayonnaise. But remember this only works with mayonnaise that contains eggs like Kewpie mayo.
Dry and dust with flour: A common issue with tempura is the batter not sticking. To prevent this, dry the ingredients with a paper towel and coat them with a light flour layer before dipping them in the batter. This is especially crucial for shrimp and fish.
Clean oil and make tenkasu: During tempura frying, bits often break off and float in the oil. To maintain oil quality, remove these bits with a fine mesh spoon between batches; otherwise, they can burn, making the oil bitter and discolored. These tempura flakes, called “tenkasu” (天かす), are useful. They can be used to top udon noodle soups or be used in dishes like devil’s onigiri. To make more tenkasu, drizzle the leftover batter into the oil. After frying, drain them on kitchen paper and store them in the freezer in a sealable freezer bag.

Jump to Full Recipe Measurements

What to Eat with Tempura

When at home, we rarely eat tempura on its own. That only happens in expensive specialist tempura restaurants.

Here are a few examples of Japanese dishes that are served or made with tempura:

Tendon (rice bowl with tempura)
Tempura udon (udon noodles soup with tempura)
Tempura soba (soba noodles soup with tempura)
Zaru udon (cold udon)
Zaru soba (cold soba)
Tenjyu (Tempura on rice in a box)
Tentoji (Tempura on rice with egg)

My personal favorite is zaru udon with tempura in summer! It’s the best!

Zaru udon served with mentsuyu and tempura top down

The Japanese Way to Eat Tempura

When it comes to eating tempura in Japan, there are several common ways to enjoy it.

Rather than eating it alone like a fritter, we typically dip it in a special tentsuyu sauce, eat it with salt (especially in high-end tempura restaurants), or drizzle it with a thick and sweet tendon sauce (for tendon).

The batter itself is lightly salted and not flavored in order to allow the unique flavor of each ingredient to shine through. This tempura batter recipe is made in a simple and authentic way, but it may not be suitable for certain dishes like rolled sushi or tenmusu due to the thin coating.

In Japan, sushi with tempura is usually served as nigiri sushi with the tempura on top of the rice, drizzled with a special sweet sauce.

If you want to use this recipe for sushi, nigiri style and sweet tempura sauce are a must. Tempura can also be used in other dishes such as tempura udon or tempura soba.

How to Cook Tempura Dishes by Ingredients

Despite what it seems, Japanese tempura is very delicate and hard to make perfect. Each ingredient requires a different temperature and preparation.

Sometimes, you may need to modify the batter slightly to ensure it turns out perfectly every time. In this section, I will provide you with specific processes and ideas for cooking tempura based on the ingredients you are using.

Please refer to the individual recipe below for precise cooking techniques, preparation, and time. I will continue to add more recipes for tempura and their cooking methods in the future.

Chicken Tempura (Toriten): I understand many people may want to use this tempura batter for chicken, but I would not recommend it, especially for chicken breast. The reason is that this tempura batter is very thin, and the surface of the chicken breast is too smooth. For the best results in making chicken tempura, I suggest using my Toriten batter, specifically designed for regional chicken tempura and much easier to work with.
Shrimp Tempura (Ebiten): Shrimp tempura is a popular Japanese dish of tender shrimp coated in a crispy batter. It can be enjoyed on its own or paired with other Japanese specialties such as tempura soba and udon. The main types of shrimp/prawns used in making tempura are Japanese Tiger Prawn, Black Tiger Prawn, and Whiteleg Shrimp.
Eggplant Tempura: Eggplant, also known as “nasu” in Japan, is a great option for making tempura due to its vibrant purple skin and soft, juicy flesh. Its versatility in cutting and presentation methods allows for an impressive visual display. This recipe will guide you through three popular ways of serving eggplant tempura in Japan, helping you achieve a delicious combination of presentation and texture.
Sweet Potato Tempura: Sweet potatoes are a delightful ingredient for tempura due to their charming reddish-purple skin, delectably sweet and creamy core, and versatile cutting and presentation possibilities. This sweet potato tempura recipe will guide you through three unique ways to cut and present sweet potato tempura, adding a dash of creativity to your culinary skills.

toriten (chicken tempura) piled up on a brown plate with two halves of kabosu citrus and dipping sauce on the side — Toriten (Chicken Tempura)

Ebiten Udon - Homemade udon noodle soup in a stripy bowl topped with kamaboko, green onion and tempura shrimp — Shrimp Tempura Udon

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Can I use this batter with chicken?

You can use it with chicken thigh, but I do not recommend using it with chicken breast. This tempura batter is very thin, and the surface of the chicken breast is too smooth for it. For best results, I suggest using my toriten batter (regional chicken tempura) for any type of chicken.

Is this suitable for tempura sushi?

Yes and no. This would not particularly be suitable if you’re thinking of using tempura in a rolled sushi (in fact, we rarely put tempura for rolled sushi in Japan). If you want to use it for rolled sushi, you would need thicker batter like ebi furai. However, if you put the tempura on top of rice (nigiri style), it will work and that’s how we usually combine tempura and sushi in Japan.

I’m not getting much flavor from the batter, is that normal?

In Japan, tempura batter is intentionally plain. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the batter is meant to be subtle so that the flavor of each ingredient can come through. Secondly, tempura is typically enjoyed with a dipping sauce or salt, depending on the restaurant. Some places serve it with a sweet sauce, such as on top of a tempura rice bowl. So, it’s normal for authentic tempura batter to be plain in taste.

Can I use this batter with air fryer?

Unfortunately not. Because this batter is thin, it is not suitable for air fryer cooking and you would need a tempura recipe specifically created for air fryer use.

What is the ideal temperature for cooking tempura?

The best temperature range for deep frying tempura is between 160°C (320°F) and 190°C (375°F). However, the exact temperature may vary depending on the type of ingredient used, its size, texture, and how it’s cut. I have created a guide for popular ingredients, which can be found above. Additionally, I will continue to add individual tempura recipes for more guidance. Please feel free to leave a comment below for additional advice.

What kind of oil do you recommend?

I recommend either extra virgin (white) sesame oil or rice bran oil.

Tempura shiitake mushroom held with chopsticks

I hope you enjoy this Authentic Japanese Tempura Batter recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!

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